Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Van Valkenburgh's Scalding Domes Removed From Brooklyn Bridge Park

The controversial stainless-steel climbing metal domes in Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 Playground were finally removed on Friday. The domes were covered and kept behind barricades after a thirteen-month-old girl suffered second degree burns on June 15th. Critics have been calling for the removal of the domes since April. (Photo: Benjamin Norman for The New York Times)Brooklyn

Three silvery domes that had been installed in the new Brooklyn Bridge Park for children to play on — but which instead scorched their young hands — have been removed, according to the New York Times.

In their place on Tuesday evening were an empty plot and two mainstream pieces of playground equipment — one for climbing and another for sitting in the shade.

Elizabeth Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Empire State Development Corporation, which oversees the park, located near Brooklyn Heights, said the domes were removed on Friday.“Last Friday we began the equipment replacement at the Pier 1 playground and the domes were removed that morning,” she said. “They are being replaced (even as we speak!) with a new red house and fairy castle, which are age appropriate for small children.”